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NEW! We are beyond thrilled to announce a successful funding award from South Ayrshire Council's Community Wealth Building Fund for new super high-definition cinema projection equipment!
With this funding, we have purchased the Broadway's first ever digital cinema projector, from Europe's largest cinema exhibition services company, CinemaNext! We are now proud owners of a Barco DP2K-15C projector, that has been commissioned ready for launch next weekend at the inaugural Broadway Rom-Com-a-thon! This DCP equipment is required to show the newest film releases, meaning that from 2024 the latest blockbusters are back in Prestwick and here to stay!
With this professional grade equipment, the Broadway Stereophonic Sound System, our incredible temporary home at Prestwick Academy will keep the magic of film alive in our community for many years to come! You can now read our full press release below, with quotes from our funders and CinemaNext, and additional thanks to some incredibly supportive individuals. You can also book your tickets using the following link to see the Barco in action for the very first time next weekend! Let's celebrate together in style!
Press Release:
Friends of the Broadway Prestwick, the charity aiming to reopen the former Broadway Cinema on Prestwick Main Street, has announced a successful funding award from South Ayrshire Council’s Community Wealth Building Award, as part of the landmark Ayrshire Growth Deal.
The project has been awarded funds to purchase new professional-grade digital projection equipment for their pop-up cinema operations based at Prestwick Academy. The newest cinema releases returned to Prestwick in 2023 under the Broadway name for the first time since the last film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, showed on 20th November 1976. Now almost half a century later Friends of the Broadway Prestwick are bringing the latest blockbusters back in super high definition, as part of a varied programme that also features vintage screenings, film festivals, and unique special events.
The funds have already been utilised, with the Broadway taking delivery of a professional Barco DP2K-15C projector from CinemaNext, the largest cinema exhibition services company in Europe. The projector received will ensure that new releases will be shown to communities in South Ayrshire for years to come, up until the Broadway Cinema’s full restoration is complete. The first latest blockbuster to be shown will be later this month, the all-new romantic comedy Anyone But You, at the organisation’s inaugural Broadway Rom-Com-a-thon beginning on Friday 9th February. The event will continue across the weekend with other classic rom-coms Notting Hill, Pretty Woman, Pillow Talk, and Dirty Dancing also featuring, with tickets available now on the group’s official website.
Councillor Bob Pollock, South Ayrshire Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economic Development said:
“It is wonderful that the Broadway Prestwick has secured new cinema equipment thanks to South Ayrshire Council’s Community Wealth Building programme. Community Wealth Building is a progressive economic approach and the Broadway Prestwick is just one example where this approach is having fantastic impacts within our local communities”
UK Operations Manager of CinemaNext, Simon Carter, has said the following:
“CinemaNext is delighted that it has been able to help the Friends of the Broadway Prestwick in bringing digital cinema to the town and to enable the cinema to show first run movies again - after a gap of many years! Our congratulations go to the Friends team, all of whom have worked tirelessly on this project, and we thank everyone involved for inviting us to provide the sound and projection equipment. We invite you to visit their excellent website to see the efforts that the team have gone to and we look forward to continuing to provide whatever we can to ensure their continued success.”
Guy Walker, chair and chief projectionist of the charity has added:
“The incoming equipment signals a major milestone for our organisation. A new digital projector will ensure that our pop-up screenings for our community can continue for years to come, stabilising our cinema operations until the Broadway’s restoration is complete. We can now start planning for an exciting year ahead and look forward to our first event with our new equipment, the Broadway Rom-Com-a-thon this month.”
Friends of the Broadway Prestwick would like to give huge thanks to CinemaNext for their efforts and co-operation, and South Ayrshire Council for their commitment to supporting the project, and for the funding that will keep local cinema in our community for the foreseeable future. Extra thanks also go out to Andy Day, Technical Manager of the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne for the wonderfully kind donation of our professional Doremi media server, and to Colin Butler, ODEON Cinemas’ Regional Head of Operations, for his incredible support and generosity in helping our projectionists with the set-up and installation of the new equipment.
We can't wait to welcome you to the trail run at Anyone But You!